Cookie Sheet Chore Chart

Have I mentioned that I intend for this new house to change our lives? Hey, for the amount of money we're spending on this thing, I don't think it's too much to ask. We have really tried to think about how we will use each space as we made changes to the plan, selected cabinets, planned shelving, etc. Examples: adding outlets at the top of the stairs and over the fireplace for Christmas decorations, adding a closet under the attic stairs that would otherwise be wasted space. I really think having a place for everything will be life-changing. Right now I feel consumed by clutter, but while some of it needs to hit the road, most of it are items we use (or would use more) if we just had a place for them. We have 17 closets in the new house. Seventeen. Seriously. I know, crazy, right? That's not even including the pantry. And the master closet has more square feet than our current bedroom. Oh, we have a dishwasher, too. I've never had one before, and excited does not begin to express my joy in it. Combine that with a room just for books (a library in the house is an English teacher's dream!!) and one for crafts, and life-changing doesn't seem so far fetched, does it?

Right now I feel like I do everything around here. I'm not saying I do alot, but what does get done is generally done by me. That's changing, too. Kyle has promised to help more (he mows and weedeats; it's not like he does nothing), and we're officially bringing Avery on board, too. She is so excited about this, and we're working with that enthusiasm while it lasts. But since consistency is a weak area in my life, I wanted a way to help us all stay on track.

Enter the job chart.

Isn't cute? The turquoise and apple green are the colors I'm using in the kitchen, where this will live. I spent a lot of time looking for ideas on Etsy and Google, but nothing really fit our needs. Part of simplifying my life is creating systems that are themselves simple. The simpler it is, the more likely I am to stick with it. Most of the ideas I was seeing online had too many boxes and stickers and...stuff.

There's not really a tutorial needed for this, but here's basically what I did:

1. Spray paint a cookie sheet (ORB for me!!)
2. Modge Podge two papers to cookie sheets--one about 3/4 the length of the sheet, the other 1/4. 
3. Add stickers outlining jobs to be done.
4. Seal with another coat of MP.
5. Embellish.
6. Add a magnet for each job to the bottom section.

All Avery has to do is take a magnet and check off jobs as she completes them. Easy, right? We discussed together which jobs she wanted on her chart. I was thinking we'd do about four things since she is four, but she had a list of 10 jobs! We settled on these six, making them general enough that they will work as she grows and her responsibilities become greater.

Avery LOVES this. Yesterday after she got home, she ran into the den and asked which job said "make bed." I told her and she placed a magnet beside it. I went to her room, and sure enough, she had made her bed! She'd NEVER done that before...and she sure didn't learn it from me! (See Sarah's take on bed making here.) And this one made me laugh out loud: she looked at her chart and asked what she could put magnets by. "Well," I said, "you put your dress up clothes away, so put one beside 'pick up toys.'" She did, and then said, "those are clothes, too, so I can put one there, too!!" Such a multi-tasker, she is.

What daily organizing tips work for you? Comment, please! I need all the help I can get!!

Edited to Add: Ok, so I don't really expect this house to change my life. I'm exaggerating.  I do think, however, that having a home that better fits our family's needs will greatly impact our day to day routines and will, by default, reduce my stress levels at least somewhat. It also gives us the space to expand our family should we choose to. We don't have room for that here. We will live in this house for the rest of our lives, so we built it with future space needs and old age issues in mind. And in a family that has deep roots in this land, I think we have constructed a home that can be passed down to future generations and become a part of the history this family has in our town.